BNL Talks to Tue Mantoni – CEO of Bang and Olufsen

Tue Mantoni, the young CEO of Bang&Olufsen (B&O) talks to BeirutNighlife.com about his impressions on  Lebanon, B Lebanon and about the lower line from B&O…

When you hear Lebanon Beirut, what do you think?

When I think of Beirut, I see a city which has been through some very tough times but has re-emerged as a very strong and vibrant city.

What is your impression about B. Lebanon (the book on Lebanon by night by Anthony Rahayel & Jean Ghalo)?

It is a great book – and with some fantastic images of a country that spans from an impressive clubbing scene in Beirut to opera, ballet and folkloric performances – it seems that a lot of cool stuff goes on there.

Will you visit us soon?

I would love to visit, but a tight time schedule makes it unfortunately not possible within the next coming months.

B&O has ventured in Cars etc… How about nightclubs, where they are now working on high end premium lighting etc. Why not the best with B&O?

Since our loudspeaker mainly is intended for Domestic and Automotive use, big nightclubs are not an obvious choice at present. However, you can experience Bang & Olufsen products in smaller high-end lounges and cocktail bars in a wide variety of exclusive hotels across the world, where we have made complete products installations via our Enterprise division.

You’re working on a “cheaper” line. Tell us about that…

The new line of products is expected to consist of stand-alone, single-room, easy-to-install products, which take advantage of Bang & Olufsen’s core competences within design, sound, connectivity and user friendliness – applying Bang & Olufsen’s approach to quality.

The products under the new category will be marketed through existing Bang & Olufsen retailers as well as complementary channels, which will showcase the products to a wide and relevant audience.

What advise will you give today’s youth?

To take advantage of all the opportunities that come their way – everything is moving so fast these days so there is no time for just sitting around and waiting.